


Memory

by orphan_account



Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: Angst, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-05
Updated: 2017-03-05
Packaged: 2018-09-28 08:56:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,919
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10082447
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: After his date with Kravitz, Taako becomes sure that he knew Kravitz a long time ago. Unable to remember, Taako casts a memory spell on himself but it doesn't go well.





	

                Kravitz listened to the strange, soft music of the souls in the astral plane. He felt confused, frightened even. He felt happy too, but he was doing his best to control it. He countered his flurry of silly thoughts with reminders of the reality of the situation. It did seem like Taako liked him, but give it a few weeks or so and that feeling would fade. It did seem like Taako was beautiful and somehow, maybe, in a certain way, a good person. But what could Taako see in _him_? After all, he was dead. But, even as Kravitz thought these things, convincing himself that soon, perhaps even by tomorrow, Taako would move on to someone _livelier_ , he couldn't help but wonder why Taako seemed so very familiar. Even the first time that they had met, briefly, when those souls tried escaping from the astral plane, Kravitz had found himself wondering why he couldn't stop thinking about Taako. He couldn't stop wondering why Taako brought back to him so many memories of when he had been alive, of when he had been a child.

~

                A lot of the past was fuzzy in Taako's head. Not just the huge block of static that he shared with Magnus and Merle. There were other things, lots of things, that he couldn't quite remember. Mostly that was fine. Usually he didn't try and think back at all. It was sometimes frustrating when he couldn't remember conversations from an hour ago or anyone's name ever. Right now, it was frustrating him as he tried to remember who Kravitz was.  He was sure that somehow he knew Kravitz, but he couldn't remember. Taako pulled a stack of magic books out from under his bed and crouched on the floor as he flipped through the pages. He'd spent the night crying, so fucking scared of how much he adored that damn grim reaper. His arms stung from new marks, after he'd been able to stop for months. Maybe Kravitz had been a jerk. Maybe Kravitz remembered Taako, but didn't say anything because he was a jerk. Taako wasn't taking any chances. Taako pointed the umbrastaff at himself and whispered a spell for regaining memories.

~

                Magnus knocked on Taako's door. There wasn't any answer, again. No one had seen Taako for a few days. Magnus did want to go in and just check on Taako, but the door was locked. It would be incredibly awkward if Magnus rushed into Taako's room like he was on some sort of heroic mission, and Taako was just being anti-social. But what if Taako needed his help? He felt strangely protective of Taako. Although Taako could more than hold his own on missions, at the moonbase, out of immediate danger, he seemed sick. He barely talked to anyone. Sometimes he'd only come out of his room for food, and not much food at that. Magnus realized that he could just be reading into things that really weren't there, but, he was still worried. He decided to unlock Taako's door. He used a thin, long piece of wire and picked the lock. He opened the door slowly, just in case Taako was sleeping and fine instead of in imaginary danger. Taako was facedown on the floor with a dark stain haloing his head.

                Magnus immediately panicked.

                "Merle! Fucking shit Merle! Get the fuck over here!" he yelled.

                "Taako will be okay," Magnus reassured himself. "Merle is magic and shit. Merle can fix him."

                 Magnus knelt down by Taako's side, and was immediately relieved. Merle stood in the doorway.

                "What happened?" Merle asked, his voice strangely hoarse.

                "It's okay. It's okay," said Magnus. "He's not dead."

                Magnus rolled Taako over. There was dried blood on his forehead.

                "I think he fell and hit his head on the corner of the table," said Magnus.

                Merle looked at the book on the floor.

                "Yeah. Probably fucked up some magic and passed out," said Merle.

                Merle held his hand over Taako's head and cast a spell. Taako didn't wake up. Merle sighed.

                "Well, that one didn't work," Merle said. "Let's just take him to the infirmary. They know about a lot of spells there, and can wake him up without hurting anything."

~

                Taako woke up. Beside him, fast asleep, was the little boy, the same age as Taako, who had joined the caravan at the last town. Caravans didn't usually accept runaways, but Taako had talked them into it. The boy's eyelashes were still wet with tears. He'd cried for hours. Taako felt a little braver when he looked at the boy. He had helped the boy. He had kept the boy safe. Taako suddenly felt like that was what he wanted to do forever. He wanted to keep Kravitz safe forever.

                A few months later, things had gotten bad. Taako was waiting to find another caravan and then he and Kravitz would leave their current one. The magic and acrobatics show which the caravan relied on had stopped drawing an audience. To survive, the caravan had turned to smuggling illegal cursed weaponry. That night Taako and Kravitz had been sent to pickup an extremely valuable sword. It was usually a very easy job. Taako and Kravitz didn't arouse much suspicion wandering through a town at night. They blended into the shadows like cats on the hunt. But this time, things went wrong.

                Taako and Kravitz picked up the sword from a baker. She was kind and sweet, explaining that the sword had belonged to her grandmother but that she was selling it to their caravan to help expand her bakery. She gave them tea and cookies and told them to be careful. She even offered to go to the caravan with them to deliver the sword. Taako thanked her, but she couldn't come with them to the caravan. She could be a spy. She laughed and nodded, warned them again to be careful, and waved goodbye to them.

                They were halfway back to the caravan, when Taako realized they were being followed. There was only one thing they could do. Run. He held Kravitz' hand and ran through side-streets, behind people's houses, snuck under carts. Effortlessly, the people followed them. This wasn't the first time that Taako had been so afraid. He'd been in similar situations before, and his luck hadn't run out yet. He felt he could try and push the odds. He could save Kravitz. He pulled Kravitz down a side alley, behind some rubbish bins.

                "You run ahead, get to the caravan," Taako said. "Don't stop for a moment. Go and get help. I'll slow them up."

                "But-" Kravitz began.

                "No," said Taaco. "Now go."

                He pushed Kravitz out of the alley way, and watched as Kravitz ran ahead. Then, he turned and looked back at the people following them. He darted out and put his hand into his bag to pull out the sword. He didn't have the sword. He'd forgotten. The sword was in Kravitz' bag. That had been his whole plan to get their attention. Well, then he'd fake it.

                "I'm sorry, please," he said. "I'll give you the sword."

                The people following him came out of the shadows. Up ahead, he heard a child's scream. Taako ran. He saw Kravitz lying on the ground, blood pooling around him. A man stood there with a bleeding cut on his cheek. The man held the sword. Taako grabbed Kravitz and carried him. He couldn't run carrying Kravitz. Behind him, he heard the people who had followed him confer and decide to let him go. By the time he reached the caravan, Kravitz was dead. Taako didn't wait to see Kravitz buried. He snuck into the caravan, left Kravitz's body there, and left. He couldn't stay there any longer. He didn't go into town. He was afraid of being seen by the people who had taken the sword. He walked east, through the plains. He had no food or water and he walked until he passed out.

~

                Magnus, Merle, and the doctor stood beside Taako's bed at the infimary.

                "Do you know which spell Taako used?" the doctor asked.

                Magnus shook his head.

                "Well," said the doctor. "These things can take a few days or so to figure out, but he'll be fine. Maybe ground him from the spell books when he wakes up."

                "He's not my son," Merle said briskly.

                "I know that. I was only joking," said the doctor.

                "Of course," said Merle, but he looked embarrassed.

~

                "Now, wake up," Taako thought.

                He had remembered that this wasn't real. All these things had happened all ready. What was real was far in the future. If only he could wake up, he wouldn't be fourteen years old and miserable. He wasn't quite sure how he had ended up back here. Why would he want to go back here? Kravitz. He was looking for Kravitz and he had found Kravitz, for a few months, and then lost him again.

                _So why wake up?_

                To end this, all these years that are nothing. These years I'd rather die than live over again.

_You'd rather die? Is the future so much better?_

                It doesn't hurt so much.

_Kravitz isn't there. Kravitz is dead. You'd rather die?_

                I'd rather die.

_Okay._

~

                Blood dripped from Taako's nose, mouth, and ears. The doctor's heart raced. He knew exactly what was wrong now, but he had little time to stop it. A creature which lived in the plane of dreams was trying to eat Taako's memories. The doctor called out to the two nurses in the other room. Together, they were able to quickly wake Taako.

                Taako opened his eyes and glowered.

                "I didn't fucking ask you to wake me up," he said. "Who brought me here?"

                "Your friends, Magnus and Merle," the doctor said. "I'm sorry if you were doing something important in your memories, but you were about to die."

                "I bet they think they did a great job, don't they?" said Taako. He laughed bitterly. "I'm going home now."

                "I'm sorry, sir," said the doctor, "but you need to stay here overnight after having an attack by a memory eater. You may still be in danger."

                "Who gives a fuck," Taako said.

                He got back into bed and lay down.

                "No," said the doctor," sit up. You can't fall asleep again. In fact, it would be good if you talk to someone to keep yourself awake."

                A nurse brought in Magnus and Merle who sat in uncomfortable chairs by Taako's bed.

                "You two, keep him awake. Or he'll probably die," said the doctor. "Ring the bell if you need a nurse."

                The doctor and nurses left.

                "Fuck you. I'm going to sleep," said Taako, and shut his eyes.

                "Open your damn eyes or I'll hold them open," said Merle.

                Taako opened his eyes, then closed them again. Then opened them.

                "I'm just really tired," he said.

                "What spell did you cast?" Magnus asked.

                "Memory spell. Helps you remember things from a really long time ago," said Taako. "It's like being in the past again."

                "What were you trying to remember?" Merle asked.

                Taako didn't really want to say, but he was too tired to put up a fight.

                "Kravitz," said Taako.

                "What?" said Magnus. "You mean when we fought all those crystals and he was going to reap our souls? I could have told you about that."

                "You mean..." Taako said. "Kravitz is here? Oh my god... Kravitz is here. I fucking forgot."


End file.
